Ok... I need a whole new exaust system... mines rusted and rattling and .... crap.

I'm looking at the Apexi WS catback system. That seems to be the one I want... now for headers, I'm looking at the DC Sports headers, found a place with some good prices.

What's the diffrence between 4-1 and 4-2-1 (I know 4 pipes to 2 pipes then to one pipe) 4-2-1 is better for lowend torque? Correct?

how about a 2 piece or one piece? What's the diffrence?

And ceramic and polished stainless steal? I'm not really going for engine bay looks... but I would like stainless steal cause I don't want it to rust. Will the ceramic ones rust, are they stainless too just powder coated?

help please?

 

well the 4-2-1 will be two piece, meaning the top part of the header which goes on the block will be seperate from the bottom piece that connects to the cat, and those two connect together.... the 4-1 is one piece, and for the 5th gens I know DC doesnt have one, not sure for the 4th gens.... as for the ceramic/stainless, it is basically all for looks, and some people seem to think the ceramic looks better, depends on what you want..... the 4-2-1 is better for lowend just because I dont think it will lose any, the 4-1 you sacrafice power down low for gains up top.......

 

The difference between 2 piece and one piece is ease of installation. You sacrafice a bit of power (I doubt it's even measurable) with the 2 piece since it'sw not a smooth pipe the entire way through. As long as you dont scrape the ceramic coating off the headers they won't rust.

 

there is also word going around that the DC header cracks after only a year or two..... I have not seen this on mine or my friends, but the reason I think some peoples have cracked is because they put heat-wraps on them..... remember, you arent going to get the bang out of the DC header like you would with Mugen, but when you consider the price difference around 300 for DC, and around 1K for Mugen, then there is definitely enough reason to go with DC. Is yours a 4th gen? Because im not sure about the stock header on the 4th gen, but on the 5th gen the stock header almost identical to the DC header, and thats the reason for minimal gains if any......

 

yea, Mine's 4th gen.

For referance, about how much does an OEM header cost?

It's mainly just my flexpipe that's the worst right now.

 

If I were to do it again I'd save the money, or spend it on suspension parts. I replaced mine because I hit a raised manhole and crimped the factory downpipe pretty good. I would have to say I felt a ZERO gain in hp, the car did get slightly louder at VTEC but that's it.

When we did the DC on my friends car the OEM ports were actually larger then the DC as was the collector but the merges and welds weren't as smooth. I think DC could've made the header better but for some reason they just made it, but didn't make it better.

 

exactly, looks too close to oem for any gains to be justified, DC just looks a little bit better than the oem IMO thats the only difference....

 

Maybe suggest to just replace it with another OEM one?

How much do they cost?

 

You will get more power with a ceramic coated header. The ceramic coating is not just for looks. It is a smoother surface than bare metal and makes the exhaust flow better (Especially with a cat back system). You can have your factory header coated but im not sure who from or where. Dont think the hp gain is gonna make you shit your pants, but you will deffinatly know you have more power. Almost all noticable gains will be in VTEC.

 

Now if I could easily sell my car and get a VTEC I would be set.... there's tons more for the VTEC's.... and well it's a VTEC.... 16valve SOHC sucks.

Someone find a sucker to buy mine for $9k and find me a nice VTEC for $7-8k and I'll be all... happy... and stuff. :sad: